1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a support for a bed having parallel longitudinal rails, transverse slats and pockets.
2. Description of Prior Art
For resting comfortably in bed in any position, a bed device must exercise a support function which can adapt itself to every situation. Conventional beds therefore have a grate of slats with raised resilient transverse slats. Furthermore, with conventional beds, the construction of the mattress placed on this slat grate is specially designed.
Moreover, so-called natural beds are known, which have an optimum support effect in spite of the use of very thin mattresses or futons. Here, the slat grate of conventional beds is replaced by a plurality of transverse slats made of solid wood, which rest on longitudinal rails, and which are resilient vertically with respect to their loading and therefore act as spring bodies.
Thus, European Patent Reference EP-A-0 116 237 discloses a bed device, which has two inflatable longitudinal rails arranged parallel with each other, in which a series of pockets is arranged tangentially and transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction. Transverse slats are pushed into these pockets, of which one end is supported in one of the longitudinal rails and the other end in the other longitudinal rail. A grate is created which has increased flexibility. Fixing the transverse slats in relation to the longitudinal rails is controlled by the lateral walls of the bed frame, if this support is placed in such a frame. In another variation, a yoke-like structure is provided, through which the longitudinal rails extend and by means of which the two longitudinal rails are braced against each other. A transverse slat is also inserted into this yoke-like structure in order to assure stability. The assembly of this bracing is relatively complicated and can therefore often not be performed by the buyer. But the variation without bracing is unstable and unsuitable if, for example, the bed support must be displaced in the course of housecleaning, or removed for some other purpose.
European Patent Reference EP-A-0 243 383 also describes a natural bed with two resilient longitudinal rails made of a foam material or of foam rubber, and a plurality of transverse slats arranged grate-like above them. The transverse slats are connected with each other with a cloth over the entire surface, which simultaneously fixes the longitudinal rails in place. For this purpose the cloth has pockets at two oppositely located longitudinal edges, which are oriented transversely to the longitudinal direction and in which the ends of the transverse slats are held. In one variation the longitudinal rails are arranged between the cloth which acts as the covering, in another variation tunnel-like webs are fastened on the cloth, into which the longitudinal rails are pushed. Although this structure assures satisfactory stability, it has several disadvantages. For one, the cloth acts as a dust collector. Then, the airing of the bed from below is hampered and the tension in the cloth relaxes over time and during use and thus diminishes the stability.
A similar construction of a bed support with resilient longitudinal rails made of a foam material and connected transverse slats made of wood is shown in German Patent Reference DE-A-39 33 816. Loops, extending transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction, are attached to the longitudinal rails, through which the ends of the transverse slats are pushed. The transverse slats have grooves for receiving the loops in order to fix the transverse slats in place with respect to the longitudinal rails. However, the stability achieved by this is not sufficient for transport or under generally strong stresses on the bed support, because the loops can be displaced and therefore removed from the grooves. The grooves also form weak points of the transverse slats and therefore potential breaking points. Moreover, the material of the loops is stressed more in the area of the grooves, since it rubs against the edges of the grooves.